Chinese grammar - Asking 'how long...?' with 要多长时间 (yào duō cháng shíjiān)

Asking 'how long...?' with 要多长时间 (yào duō cháng shíjiān)

The Chinese phrase 要多长时间 (yào duō cháng shíjiān) can be used to ask about time durations.

That includes both how long something takes and how long something lasts.

— The phrase literally translates to 'how much time is needed?'.

The position of the phrase 要多长时间 in a sentence is flexible - frequently it is at the end of the question but not always.

Examples:
	开会要多长时间？ kāihuì yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long will the meeting take?
	从这里到火车站要多长时间？ cóng zhèlǐ dào huǒchēzhàn yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long does it take to get from here to the train station?
	你每天上班要多长时间？ nǐ měitiān shàngbān yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long does it take you to go to work every day?
	从北京到上海坐火车要多长时间？ cóng Běijīng dào Shànghǎi zuò huǒchē yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long does it take to travel by train from Beijing to Shanghai?
	你煮饭要多长时间？ nǐ zhǔfàn yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long does it take you to cook a meal? 煮饭 (zhǔ fàn) means 'cook'
	从机场到酒店坐出租车要多长时间？ cóng jīchǎng dào jiǔdiàn zuò chūzūchē yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long does it take to take a taxi from the airport to the hotel?
	你洗澡要多长时间？ nǐ xízǎo yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long does it take you to take a shower?
	这个电影要多长时间？ zhè gè diànyǐng yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long does this movie last?
	从上海到北京飞行要多长时间？ cóng Shànghǎi dào Běijīng fēixíng yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long does it take to fly from Shanghai to Beijing? 飞行 (fēixíng) means 'flight'
	你要多长时间来准备这份报告？ nǐ yào#duōcháng#shíjiān lái zhǔnbèi zhè fèn bàogào? How long do you need to prepare this report? 份 (fèn) is a measure word for documents 来(lái) introduces the action, making the sentence smooth and complete 报告 (bàogào) means 'report'
	从这里到机场要多长时间？ cóng zhèlǐ dào jīchǎng yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long does it take to get from here to the airport?
	他要多长时间才能学会这首歌？ tā yào#duōcháng#shíjiān cái néng xuéhuì zhè shǒu gē? How long will it take him to learn this song? 首 (shǒu) is a measure word for songs
	昨天你花了多长时间才完成作业？ zuótiān nǐ huāle duōcháng#shíjiān cái #wánchéng zuòyè? How long did it take you to finish the homework yesterday? 多长时间才 (cái) means 'only then'
	修理这辆车要多长时间？ xiūlǐ zhè liàng chē yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long will it take to repair this car? 辆 (liàng) is a measure word for vehicles
	你觉得这个项目要多长时间才能完成？ nǐ juéde zhè ge xiàngmù yào#duōcháng#shíjiān cái néng wánchéng? How long do you think it will take to complete this project?
	去年的旅行花了多长时间？ qùnián de lǚxíng huā le duōcháng#shíjiān? How long did last year's trip take? 多长时间 (shíjiān) means 'time'
	你要多长时间才能打扫完房间？ nǐ yào#duōcháng#shíjiān cái néng dásǎo wán fángjiān? How long will it take you to finish cleaning the room?
	你们完成这个工程要多长时间？ nǐmen wánchéng zhè ge gōngchéng yào#duōcháng#shíjiān? How long will it take you all to complete this project? 工程 (gōngchéng) means 'project'